Teacher Questionnaires

	Fall 2010 Kindergarten Teacher Questionnaire (Child Level)
	Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics by: Westat 1600 Research Boulevard Rockville, Maryland 20850

L A B E L

Use a black or blue ball point pen or #2 pencil to complete this questionnaire.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0750. Approval expires 03/31/2012. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information requested. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving the survey instrument, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202‑4537. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual response to this survey, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, N.W., Room 9086, Washington, D.C. 20006-5650.

The collection of information in this survey is authorized by Public Law 107-279 Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part C, Sec. 151(b) and Sec. 153(a). Participation is voluntary. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer; however, we hope that you will answer as many questions as you can. Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (PL 107-279, Title I, Part C, Sec. 183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose, unless otherwise compelled by law. Data will be combined to produce statistical reports. No individual data that links your name, address, telephone number, or identification number with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Introduction

Dear Teacher,

This questionnaire is a vital part of a major longitudinal study of children’s early educational experiences beginning with kindergarten and continuing through grade 5. You have received this questionnaire because one or more of the children in your class(es) are participants in this study. The child who is the subject of this questionnaire is identified on the cover.

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) is collecting information from teachers of children who are in the study to investigate the relationship between children’s academic progress and various school, classroom, teacher, and home characteristics. Taking part in the study is voluntary. You may stop at any time or choose not to answer a question you do not want to answer. Although we realize you are very busy, we urge you to complete this questionnaire as completely and accurately as possible. The information you provide is being collected for research purposes only and will be protected from disclosure to the fullest extent allowable by law. Information from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical reports; no information that identifies you will be included in any reports or provided to students, their parents, or other school staff.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

MARKING DIRECTIONS

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND USE A BLACK OR BLUE BALL POINT PEN OR A SOFT LEAD (#2) PENCIL TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE. DO NOT USE A FELT-TIP PEN.

MARKING BOXES

It is important that you mark an “X” in the box next to your answers and print clearly.

Shown below is the correct way to mark your answers, along with examples of incorrect ways.

Correct Mark:

Incorrect Marks:

Light and thin, outside the box, thick or scrawled.

      

How to Change an Answer:

Completely black out the box of the incorrect answer and mark an “X” in the box next to the correct answer.

      

PRINTING ANSWERS IN BOXES:

Print entire answer in box. Answers should be printed clearly and should not touch or cross any of the box lines. Do not cross zeroes or sevens. That is, do not write a zero with a line through it like this – 0, and do not write a seven with a line through it like this – 7.

Write digits like this:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0

Write words like this:

John Smith

Academic Rating Scale

The Academic Rating Scale is separated into three areas: (1) Language and Literacy, (2) Science, and (3) Mathematical Thinking. Please rate the child's skills, knowledge, and behaviors within each of these three areas based on your experience with the child identified on the cover of this questionnaire. This is NOT a test and should not be administered directly to the child. Each question includes examples that are meant to help you think of the range of situations in which the child may demonstrate the identified skills and behaviors. The examples do not exhaust all the ways that a child may demonstrate what he/she knows or can do. The examples do, however, indicate a level of proficiency a child should have reached in order to receive the highest ratings. Some of these examples describe a very high level of performance (beyond typical students) in order to evaluate achievement levels of the highest performing students.

The following five-point scale is used for each of the questions. It reflects the degree to which a child has acquired and demonstrated the targeted skills, knowledge, and behaviors.

Not yet	=	Child has not yet demonstrated skill, knowledge, or behavior.
Beginning	=	Child is just beginning to demonstrate skill, knowledge, or behavior but does so very inconsistently.
In progress	=	Child demonstrates skill, knowledge, or behavior with some regularity but varies in level of competence.
Intermediate	=	Child demonstrates skill, knowledge, or behavior with increasing regularity and average competence but is not completely proficient.
Proficient	=	Child demonstrates skill, knowledge, or behavior competently and consistently.
Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught	=	Skill, knowledge, or behavior has not been introduced in classroom setting.

Rate only the child's current skills, knowledge, and behaviors. Rate each child compared to other children of the same age level. Please consider the full range of ratings when answering. If the skill, knowledge, or behavior has been introduced in the classroom, please rate the child by placing an “X” in the appropriate box for your rating. Place an “X” in the box for “Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught” only if the skill, knowledge, or behavior has not been introduced in your classroom setting.

Child with Limited English Proficiency/English language learner: Please answer the questions based on your knowledge of this child's skills. If the child does not yet demonstrate skills in English but does demonstrate them in his/her native language, please answer the questions with the child's native language in mind.

Child with Special Needs: It may be necessary to consider adaptations for some questions to make them more inclusive for this child's skills and/or use of adaptive equipment. Some children may utilize alternative forms of verbal communication (e.g., sign language, communication boards) or written communication (e.g., word processors, Braille, dictation). Please answer the questions with these adaptations in mind.

section I: language and literacy

	MARK ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.
THIS CHILD ...	Not Yet	Beginning	In Progress	Intermediate	Proficient	Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught
1. Uses complex sentence structures – for example, says "If she had brought her umbrella, she wouldn't have gotten wet," or "Yesterday it was raining cats and dogs," or "Why can't we go on the field trip at the same time as the first grade?"
2. Understands and interprets a story or other text read to him/her – for example, by retelling a story just read to the group, or telling about why a story ended as it did, or connecting part of the story to his/her own life.
3. Easily and quickly names all upper- and lower-case letters of the alphabet.
4. Predicts what will happen next in stories by using the pictures and storyline for clues.
5. Reads simple books independently – for example, reads books with a repetitive language pattern.
6. Uses different strategies to read unfamiliar words – for example, examines cues from pictures or context, or uses consonant sounds to read words, or uses prior knowledge in order to make predictions.
7. Demonstrates early writing behaviors – for example, by using initial consonants to spell words (“d” for the word “dog”), or using letter names to represent sounds (“r” for the word “are”), or phonetic spelling (“hrt”) for the word “heart”, to convey words or ideas.
8. Composes simple stories, for example, by writing about a personal experience in a journal.
9. Demonstrates an understanding of some of the conventions of print – for example, by using both upper and lower case letters when writing, or putting spaces between words, or using a period at the end of a sentence.

SECTION II: SCIENCE

	MARK ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.
THIS CHILD ...	Not Yet	Beginning	In Progress	Intermediate	Proficient	Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught
10. Uses his/her senses to explore and observe – for example, observes and notes the habits of classroom pets, or describes the differences in clay before and after water is added.
11. Forms explanations based on observations and explorations – for example, describes or draws the conditions (water, soil, sun) that help a plant grow, or explains that a block will slide more quickly down a steeper slope.
12. Classifies and compares living and non-living things in different ways – for example, classifies objects according to "things that are alive and not alive," or "things that fly and things that crawl."
13. Makes logical predictions when pursuing scientific investigations – for example, observes and identifies patterns in nature and predicts what happens next (e.g., predicts if a new object will float or sink).
14. Communicates scientific information – for example, records or describes the properties of common objects verbally or through drawings or graphs.
15. Demonstrates understanding of physical science concepts – for example, makes observations that different materials have different properties or compares the relative sizes and characteristics of objects.
16. Demonstrates understanding of life science concepts – for example, recognizes the five senses and the related body parts, or describes the similarities and differences in the appearance of plants.
17. Demonstrates understanding of earth and space science concepts – for example, describes properties of rocks, soil, and water; or identifies that the sun gives light and heat to Earth.

SECTION III: MATHEMATICAL THINKING

	MARK ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM.
THIS CHILD ...	Not Yet	Beginning	In Progress	Intermediate	Proficient	Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught
18. Sorts, classifies, and compares math materials by various rules and attributes – for example, by creating a rule for sorting keys, such as "keys with numbers" in one pile and "keys without numbers" in another pile, or by sorting shapes by several attributes such as "large plastic shapes" and "small wooden shapes."
19. Orders a group of objects – for example, by ordering rods or sticks by length, or arranging paints from lightest to darkest or musical instruments from softest to loudest.
20. Shows an understanding of the relationship between quantities – for example, knows that a group of ten small stones is the same quantity as a group of ten larger blocks.
21. Solves problems involving numbers using concrete objects – for example, "Vera has six blocks, George has three, how many blocks are there in all?" or "How many do I need to give George so he will have the same number of blocks as Vera?"
22. Demonstrates an understanding of graphing activities – for example, by looking at a picture graph on favorite ice-cream flavors and knowing which flavor is the most popular and which one is the least popular.
23. Uses instruments accurately for measuring – for example, by using a balance scale to compare the weight of two objects, or using tablespoons and teaspoons during a cooking project, or using a measuring tape to measure the length of different objects.
24. Uses a variety of strategies to solve math problems – for example, by using manipulative materials, looking for a pattern, or acting out a problem.
25. Models, reads, writes, and compares fractions – for example, shows that ½ of the candy bar is ¼ + ¼, or shows that ¼ of a set of 12 is 3.

Social Skills

26-51. Twenty-six items ask teachers to rate children in their classroom on social skills (including their ability to exercise self-control, interact with others, resolve conflict, and participate in group activities); problem behaviors (e.g., fighting, bullying, arguing, anger, depression, low self-esteem, impulsiveness, etc.); and learning dispositions or “approaches to learning” (e.g., curiosity, self-direction, and inventiveness). The social skills items and the problem behavior items are not listed as they are copyright protected. The learning disposition items are not copyright protected and are listed below.

Source: Elementary Scale A (“How Often?”), Frank M. Gresham and Stephen N. Elliott ©1990, American Guidance Service, Inc.

Approaches to Learning Scale items

The teacher indicated how frequently the child exhibited the following behaviors. The response scale included four points ranging from “never” to “very often,” and there was also a “no opportunity to observe” option.

• Keeps belongings organized

• Shows eagerness to learn new things

• Works independently

• Easily adapts to changes in routine

• Follows classroom rules

• Persists in completing tasks

• Pays attention well

52-63. Twelve items from the Child’s Behavior Questionnaire (short form) ask teachers to assess the attentional focusing and inhibitory control of the children in their classroom. The items are not listed as they are copyright protected.

Source: Putnam, S. P., & Rothbart, M. K. (2006). Development of Short and Very Short forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 87 (1), 103-113.

Student Information

1. In what type of program is this child enrolled?

Full-day program

Morning part-day program

Afternoon part-day program

2. Is the 2010-11 school year this child’s…?

First year in kindergarten

Second year in kindergarten

3. How often does this child wear eye glasses or contact lenses in the classroom?

Never

Seldom

Usually

Always

4. How many achievement groups in reading do you currently have in this child's class? MARK ONLY ONE.

I do not use achievement groups for reading (SKIP TO Q 6)

Two

Three

Four

Five or more

5. In which reading group is this child currently placed? USE "1" FOR THE HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT GROUP. WRITE THE NUMBER OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GROUP NUMBER BELOW.

Achievement Group

6. How many achievement groups in mathematics do you currently have in this child's class? MARK ONLY ONE.

I do not use achievement groups for mathematics (SKIP TO END)

Two

Three

Four

Five or more

7. In which mathematics group is this child currently placed? USE "1" FOR THE HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT GROUP. WRITE THE NUMBER OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GROUP NUMBER BELOW.

Achievement Group

DATE QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED:

				2010
MONTH		DAY		YEAR